Keeping employees safe at work is one of the primary obligations that a company has toward their workers. When working with electrical systems, this is especially important because of the fact that electrical injuries can cause permanent damage or even death in an instant. With this in mind, a company should always have a comprehensive electrical safety training program in place that addresses the many dangers of electricity and gives instructions on how to stay safe.
OSHA Electrical General Training
The first thing you should do is provide employees with the OSHA approved electrical general training course. This will give everyone a good base level of knowledge regarding the dangers of electrical systems, workplace safety requirements, and a variety of other things. This type of training can be given in person, via a DVD, or any number of other ways. The important thing is to ensure your employees receive the information they need.
Training Specific to Your Facility
In addition to the general training that is included in OSHA’s program, your facility should come up with a training course specific to your company. This would provide employees with information about specific hazards in the area. For example, training employees on where all high voltage systems are located so that they can avoid them, or take necessary precautions.
Giving employees instructions on how to use the lockout tag-out system is also critical. During this training you should make it clear that the LOTO system must be used every time someone is entering areas with known electrical hazards as this will dramatically reduce the risk of any type of injury.
Day-to-Day Reminders
Finally, employees should be given daily reminders of the dangers of electricity, and how to avoid them. This should be done in a variety of different ways. Putting up safety signs throughout the facility to remind people of the dangers is a good start. Using labels on particularly dangerous areas is another good method to improve safety. Keeping personal protection equipment in the areas where it may be needed would further help to remind everyone that they need to take electrical safety seriously.
In the end, the most important thing is to keep your employees safe. Look at all available resources and craft your own electrical safety training program that will be effective in your facility.
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